In 2023, animal populations in the EU were smaller than the previous year. Compared to 2022, pig and cattle populations decreased by 1%, while sheep decreased by 3% and goats by 5%.

In 2023, the EU had 133 million pigs, 74 million cattle, 58 million sheep, and 11 million goats.

This information comes from provisional data on the EU animal population, published today by Eurostat.

Over the past decade, the populations of all animal species have declined. The EU cattle population decreased the least, by 5% compared to 2013, followed by pigs (a decrease of 6%). The number of sheep decreased by 9%, while the number of goats saw a sharp decline of 15%.

Contrasting developments at the country level regarding pig and cattle populations:

While the EU-wide changes in pig and cattle populations in 2023 compared to 2022 were relatively modest, there were diverse developments among EU countries.

Croatia and Ireland recorded significant decreases in their pig populations (-10% compared to 2022), while Bulgaria and Malta saw even more pronounced increases (both +21%).

Latvia recorded the largest decline in its cattle population in 2023 (down 6% compared to 2022), followed by Lithuania, Estonia, Portugal, Finland, and Hungary (all around 3%).

Cyprus was the only country with a modest increase (+1%), while the cattle populations in Malta, Poland, and Ireland remained almost unchanged from 2022 levels.